CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Tampa Bay family believes they are one step closer to getting justice after naked pictures of their teenage daughter were sent out in an apparent attempt to get revenge.
Largo Police arrested Bruce Joseph, 57, of Clearwater, Tuesday morning on charges of sexual cyber-harassment and aggravated stalking.
The victim's mother, Crystal, spoke with ABC Action News Tuesday night, just hours after returning home from her daughter's college.
Crystal says Joseph met her then 17-year-old daughter chaperoning an event at Calvary Christian High School. Joseph is married to a school administrator.
Crystal tells ABC Action News, both families have been close friends for years.
“I thought my daughter was lying," Crystal recalls. "I called her a liar because I didn’t believe her because these were family friends. We celebrated birthdays together."
The relationship began after the victim graduated, but when it went south, investigators say Joseph set up fake dating profiles using the victim's pictures.
Crystal says Joseph sent a barrage of text messages to her friends, family and complete strangers showing naked photos of the victim that she privately sent him.
“My heart was broken because, again, I thought I raised them better," said Crytal, holding back tears.
Largo Police believe Joseph's harassment put the victim's life in danger by inviting strange men to the victim's college apartment, promising sex, using phony profiles.
“I said never go out alone, especially at night," said Crystal. "Always have a buddy with you. I was terrified."
Police investigators tracked more than three dozen phony email and screen names pretending to be the victim online.
Joseph has bonded out of jail and has not returned our request for comment.
